When you go away on vacation, the last thing you want to do is worry about dealing with a break-in or property damage when you come back. Fortunately, there are several ways you can protect your home from break-ins, fires, floods and other dangers when you're away. The following tips can help you keep your home as safe as possible when you're on vacation.
Use timed lighting
Intruders can tell when someone is away from home if they notice no lights ever come on in the evening or at night. Before leaving your home, set up timers to turn lights on inside your home at certain times. You can adjust the times these lights go on, so they're not turning on and going off at the same times each day.
Use timers on exterior lights to make sure the outside of your home is well-lit during the night, since this can also deter intruders.
Unplug devices
Power outages and surges can damage your electronics. Go around your house before leaving and unplug devices, such as your TVs and computers. You might also want to unplug microwaves and other small appliances to keep them safe from surges as well while you're gone. If you don't want to disconnect or unplug devices, plug them into a surge protector.
Have your mail stopped or picked up
Arrange to have your mail stopped temporarily while you're on vacation. If you don't want to do this, you can ask a trusted loved one to stop by your home regularly to pick up your mail. Letting mail pile up in your mailbox can make it easy for intruders to figure out no one is home, which increases the risk of a break-in.
Double check doors and windows
All of your doors and windows should be locked before you leave for your vacation. Go around your house, and double check every door and window to make sure they're all locked. Check your garage doors to make sure they're also locked, since intruders can break in this way as well.
Put valuables away
Don't leave any valuables out where intruders might see them when you're away from home. Have your valuables stored in a safe place in your home or in a safe deposit box.
About the Author
Carolyn Andrews
Carolyn Andrews has over 30 years licensed Brokerage experience in both California and Colorado. Born in England, Carolyn moved to California in 1980, then relocated to Denver, Colorado in 1991. Carolyn has also received recognition for Top Sales at RE/MAX Alliance Aurora in 2007-2008 and is a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame & Chairman’s Club, as well as a recipient of the ReMax Lifetime Achievement Award. Carolyn has sold over 2000 homes personally in her career. Carolyn has been actively involved in many aspects of the Real Estate business including investment property, luxury homes, mountain resort property, skiin/ski out, REO/default management, loss mitigation, valuations, and disposition. She has been a speaker and panelist at several conferences and has been consulted on many occasions by various organizations in the REO/financial industries for her expertise and served on many boards. She has attended numerous ongoing classes to stay abreast of changes in the ever-evolving Real Estate industry. She is the prior State Director for Colorado for VAREP(Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals). She is a member of 3 boards of Realtors including Metro Denver, Colorado Springs and Summit County mountain areas. She heads up The Andrews Group and is or has been an active member of NAR, CAR,REOMAC, CIPS, CRS, AREAA, NAPW, NAHREP, and is an original member of the ELITEReal Estate network. She was ranked #1 for most homes sold in Denver 2007 by Denver Board of Realtors, #2 for 2008, and #2 for 2009, #5 in 2010 and #4 in 2011 and has been consistently in the top 10 ever since. Carolyn Andrews has been a top rated Endorsed Local Provider for the Dave Ramsey Organization and also a Top Producing agent for 2018 for the Homelight Company.
